There are mobile communication devices known which contain memory devices having unique memory device identifications, e.g. the MIFARE® classic family, developed by NXP Semiconductors, a contactless smart card IC operating in the 13.56 MHz frequency range with read/write capability. Recently, secure elements have been developed which are memory devices providing enhanced security features, particularly for the use in mobile phones and other mobile communication devices with Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities. Said secure elements are also known as “Smart Cards”. For a better understanding, a SmartMX device which is a leading representative of the secure elements will now be explained. SmartMX (Memory eXtension) is a family of smart cards that have been designed by NXP Semiconductors for high-security smart card applications requiring highly reliable solutions, with or without multiple interface options. Key applications are e-government, banking/finance, mobile communications and advanced public transportation.
SmartMX architecture combines coprocessors for RSA, ECC, DES and AES and enables implementation of operating systems including Java Open Platform and MULTOS. The ability of SmartMX cards to run the MIFARE protocol concurrently with other contactless transmission protocols implemented by the User Operating System enables the combination of new services and existing applications based on MIFARE (e.g. ticketing) on a single Dual Interface controller based smart card. SmartMX cards are able to emulate MIFARE Classic devices and thereby makes this interface compatible with any installed MIFARE Classic infrastructure. The contactless interface can be used to communicate via any protocol, particularly the MIFARE protocol and self defined contactless transmission protocols. SmartMX enables the easy implementation of state-of-the-art operating systems and open platform solutions including JCOP (the Java Card Operating System) and offers an optimized feature set together with the highest levels of security. SmartMX incorporates a range of security features to counter measure side channel attacks like DPA, SPA etc. . . . A true anticollision method (acc. ISO/IEC 14443-3), enables multiple cards to be handled simultaneously.
In February 2007 the GSM Association (GSMA) published a white paper outlining operator community guidance for the eco-system parties involved in the development of Mobile NFC (Near Field Communication) services. Mobile NFC is defined as the combination of contactless services with mobile telephony, based on NFC technology. The mobile phone with a hardware-based secure identity token (the UICC) can provide the ideal environment for NFC applications. The UICC can replace the physical card thus optimising costs for the Service Provider, and offering users a more convenient service. Various different entities are involved in the Mobile NFC ecosystem. These are defined below:                Customer—uses the mobile device for mobile communications and Mobile NFC services. The customer subscribes to an MNO and uses Mobile NFC services.        Mobile Network Operator (MNO)—provides the full range mobile services to the Customer, particularly provides UICC and NFC terminals plus Over The Air (OTA) transport services.        Service Provider (SP)—provides contactless services to the Customer (SPs are e.g. banks, public transport companies, loyalty programs owners etc.).        Retailer/Merchant—service dependent, e.g. operates a NFC capable Point of Sales (POS) terminal.        Trusted Service Manager (TSM)—securely distributes and manages the Service Providers' services to the MNO customer base.        Handset, NFC Chipset and UICC Manufacturer—produce Mobile NFC/Communication devices and the associated UICC hardware.        Reader Manufacturer—produces NFC reader devices.        Application developer—designs and develops the Mobile NFC applications.        Standardisation Bodies and Industry Fora—develop a global standard for NFC, enabling interoperability, backward compatibility and future development of NFC applications and services.        
One of the key findings in said white paper is that Mobile NFC will be successful provided that the Mobile NFC ecosystem is steady, providing value for all entities within it; and is efficient, by introducing a new role of the Trusted Service Manager
The role of the Trusted Service Manager (TSM) is to:                Provide the single point of contact for the Service Providers to access their customer base through the MNOs.        Manage the secure download and life-cycle management of the Mobile NFC application on behalf of the Service Providers.        
The TSM does not participate in the transaction stage of the service, thus ensuring that the Service Providers' existing business models are not disrupted. Depending on the national market needs and situations, the TSM can be managed by one MNO, a consortium of MNOs, or by independent Trusted Third Parties. The number of operating TSMs in one market will depend on the national market needs and circumstances.
A characteristic feature of secure elements such as SmartMX cards is that they allow trusted applications (also known as Wallets or Trusted MIDlets) that are installed in a mobile communication device communicating with said secure element to securely manage NFC applications (coupons, tickets, . . . ) that are installed in the secure element of the mobile communication device with NFC capabilities. The Wallet can be said to constitute a graphical user interface for the NFC application. In order to accomplish this task, the Wallets are able to retrieve the list of NFC applications installed in the secure element as well as to retrieve some information about those NFC applications. However, several restrictions limit the accessibility of applications and application data, respectively. One of the restrictions is security consideration. Wallets are not located in the secure element of the mobile phone and as such are representing a security threat if information about the application formats would reside in the non-secure area of the memory of a mobile communication device. Because of this situation, there are limited access rights granted for such Wallets. This limits the ability to retrieve data to only a subset of the full set of application data. Another restriction is given by a practical consideration, which is the plurality of proprietary data formats introduced by the various Service Providers releasing the applications. Regarding this situation Wallet should always know the specific data format in advance in order to retrieve the application data accurately. It is virtually impossible that at any time all data formats introduced by all service providers are available because this would mean that each newly released data format must trigger an update of the Wallet. This updating is complicated and cumbersome for the end user and the wallet provider as well.
The potential security problems of Wallets emanating from the fact that they are located outside of the secure element could be circumvented by installing a service manager in the secure element with the ability to access the applications. However, the above mentioned restrictions caused by the plurality of proprietary data formats introduced by the various Service Providers releasing the applications also applies to the service manager. It is virtually impossible that at any time all data formats introduced by all service providers are implemented in a service manager and due to security reasons updating the service manager is even more complicated than updating a wallet. Therefore, in reality, the service manager is hindered to accessing all data of applications due to the multiple proprietary data formats.
Another restriction is that in order to update the data in an application the plurality of data formats means that the update mechanism OTA (over the air) from the TSM normally must work by replacing the complete application, rather than modifying a specific item of data inside the application.